


I Didn't Promise You a Rose Garden

by Lyra_Kero



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Keith (Voltron), Alternate Universe, Courtship, Fluff, Galra Lance (Voltron), Gardener Keith, Happy Ending, I guess a little bit of angst, M/M, Prince Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-06 01:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17929952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyra_Kero/pseuds/Lyra_Kero
Summary: Under Galran law, Prince Lance can only marry royalty. It's why he went to Altea to meet with Princess Allura. But then the cute gardener caught his eye....





	I Didn't Promise You a Rose Garden

**Author's Note:**

> Last night I sat up and wrote out the base outline for this.  
> This morning I woke up and wrote it out. There might be some errors that, if found, feel free to tell me, because right now I have to actually go get ready for work....
> 
> I also guess this is my only contribution to the Klanceuary thing going around? If you want to see it as that.
> 
> I... have nothing more to say.

Altea was beautiful, that much was obvious.  
Another obvious thing was that Allura was beautiful.

 

Lance smiled, bowing low and polite to the Altean princess he’d been sent to see, his skin a deep purple, with an even darker marking running across both his cheeks. His hair so dark it was almost black was tousled professionally.  
“Dear Princess,” he crooned, “it’s an honor to meet you.”

Allura smiled warmly, giving a low courtesy. “I am equally as honored to meet you, Prince Lanseli.”

“Please, Lance will be fine.” Lance straightened, giving a playful wink and was delighted when Allura actually laughed.  
“Then you’re welcome to call me Allura.”

 

 

They seemed to hit it off. Allura and Lance would walk around the kingdom, talking and smiling, arm in arm. They ate together, read together and Lance would walk her to her room, kissing her hand before she entered. However there just wasn’t that… spark. Neither of them could feel it as they spent time together, no matter how much Lance tried to will it, he finally had to admit that courting Allura would be a bust. It was Allura who was the one who finally brought it up at the end of a week.

 

“I do not think this will work out.” She said as they sat together at breakfast. “Don’t get me wrong, of course. You’re very charming, Lance.”  
“And you are very beautiful.” the Galran prince said, taking a sip from his drink. “But, you’re right.” He eyed her a moment, seeing her gently pick at her food, “Is there another reason that you…” he saw the princess’s cheeks bloom red, her markings glowing and he began to grin. “Oh, is it someone else?” Her cheeks darkened and she scowled as Lance laughed.

“Prince Lotor is quite charming, is he not?” Lance only hummed in agreement and the two settled back into their meal. Lance would have ample time to tease his friend over her crush before he returned home. Lotor would like to know that his courtship of Allura was unsuccessful, and that the feelings he had were mutual.

 

 

 

After breakfast, Allura had excused herself, saying she had a meeting to attend to with her father. Lance found himself wandering the castle grounds, ending up in the gardens where he and Allura would usually picnic their lunches. He smiled, glancing around at the different flowers as he silently walked. His ears perked slightly and he turned his head, hearing a low hum. He followed the noise and peered around a large tree.

 

A lone figure was hunched over, kneeling on the ground as they worked. Lance smiled, watching as they moved, delicately removing harmful weeds and tending to the treasured garden. They wiped their face, huffing in annoyance before they sat up. Lance tensed, thinking that he’d been spotted. He opened his mouth to apologize, but fell silent when the figure gathered their white hair up and back into a stubby ponytail. Beautiful porcelain skin seemed to glow in the sunlight as gentle red markings accented his face and bare arms, twisting in gorgeous patterns to his elbows. The man sighed, picking up a bottle and took a careful swig from it and Lance found himself watching the man’s adam’s apple bob as he drank.

 

The gardener started to get back to work but seemed to stop and Lance was finally spotted.  
“Oh.” the man blushed faintly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know there’d be anyone out here.” he stood up, carefully gathering his tools. “I’ll move to another part of the garden.”

“No.” Lance spoke far too quickly as he held up his hands, “I mean, no, it’s okay. You don’t have to leave. I…” He glanced off to the side. “I was actually kind of curious who maintained the gardens. I wanted to meet the one who kept them so beautiful.” He looked back and the soft pink blush that appeared across the man’s face made his walk more worth it than all the flowers in the world.

 

By noon, he had learned of the man’s name, had walked with him through the garden, talking with him as he worked. By noon, Lance said goodbye and watched as Keith left, saying he would be back tomorrow morning to cover another section of the garden.

 

 

The next day followed as normal, Lance ate with Allura, but instead quietly excused himself afterwards to make his way down to the gardens to chat with Keith. Over the next few days he smiled, laughed and got to know the gardener. What his favorite foods were, what his favorite color was. Favorite animal. The way his nose would wrinkle when he was confused by something, eyebrows pinching together. How adorable his pout was when Lance would tease him. The way his face turned red when Lance would surprise him with his favorite sweets he’d bought the day before. How his laugh was melodic and cheerful and Lance longed to hear it always.

 

It was when Lance had been out with Allura, the two friends happy and pointing out things for the other to try on, and when Lance saw a beautiful silver necklace with a gem as deep purple as Keith’s eyes he realized how screwed he was. He hadn’t expected to fall for the gardener and yet he had just bought the man a courting gift.

 

Lance laid in his room panicking as he delicately held the trinket in his fingers. He ran his thumb along the gemstone, worrying his lower lip. He couldn’t give this to Keith. He couldn’t court him, no matter how much he wanted to. Lance was a prince, and Galran law said he had to marry royalty. He had no say on who he could fall in love with, and Lance had always dreamed of finding and falling in love with a beautiful princess or prince. Of having a happily ever after and a huge wedding.

 

But Keith wasn’t royalty. He was a gardener who worked at the castle. He was a commoner, and Lance wrapped his fingers tightly around the necklace, anger and shame bubbling hot under his skin. Why couldn’t Allura have a cute brother or sister or something?

 

He couldn’t will himself to destroy the necklace, and shoved it away in his pack, intent on throwing it out the airlock when he had to return to Daibazaal.

 

 

Lance fought down all his urges and instincts to go to the gardens over the next few days. He spent his time with Allura or inside the castle, refusing to leave until after noon, when he knew Keith would be finished and he was gone. He felt awful about it, his heart thudding hollowly, his head pounding in anger and his stomach twisting in disgust of his actions, but he couldn’t go see Keith. He couldn’t, knowing how he felt. It was better to just ignore the pretty gardener that he’d never see again until he left and, well. Never saw him again.

 

Early on the last day he was at the castle, Lance stared out of his window. Tomorrow he’d have to leave and he felt restless. He pressed his head to the cool glass, eyes drifting down to the gardens below. His heart leapt into his throat, somersaulting. There, down in the gardens was Keith. He wasn’t working as diligently as Lance had seen him before. If anything he looked distracted. He would stop every few moments and look around and Lance felt his stomach curl in guilt when he realized why.

 

Keith was looking for him. Lance’s body shook and he pulled his gaze away, only to see his pack. His brain told him to stop, but his body was already on the move. He tore open his bag, dumping everything he’d so neatly packed inside out and picked up the necklace. He hurried out of his room, still in his nightclothes, racing down the hall and steps.

 

“Keith!” the gardener jumped, turning around as the Galran prince panted, trying to catch his breath as he came closer. “Keith, I’m…”

“Where were you?” Keith scowled, hand tightly clenching the tool he held. Lance noticed that the spade could very easily be shoved into his chest, and Lance would deserve it. “I was worried! I thought you’d left, but everyone in town said they’d still seen you around!” the Altean gardener stormed over, shoving the prince. “You’ve got some nerve!”

“I know.” Lance frowned. “I’m so sorry. I just…”  
“You better have a good explanation, you… you quiznacking---”

 

“Keith, I love you.” the gardener stopped his rant, the spade dropping from his hands. “Or, I guess, I can love you. No, screw it, I do. I love you, and I want to be with you.” Lance raised his free hand, cupping the side of Keith’s face, his thumb rubbing against the red mark and pink blush adorning his cheek. “But I can’t, and that hurts me so much, because you’re so beautiful and kind and strong. I feel so comfortable around you, and I just want to make you smile. But I’m a prince, and I can’t marry someone who's not royalty. I tried to keep myself away from you, but I couldn’t do it.” Lance felt tears stinging his eyes. “By the ancients, Keith, I want to be with you so badly it _hurts_.”

 

Keith was quiet, eyes wide as he stared into the prince’s eyes. He carefully raised his hands, brushing away the stray tears that fell. “Lance,” the prince closed his eyes, leaning into the Altean’s touch. “You’re telling me that if I was a prince, you could marry me?”

“Yes.”

“You could court me, or whatever, and you wouldn’t have to leave?”

“Yes. I mean, I might have to leave for like a week to let my family know but, I could come back.” Lance opened his eyes, confused. He felt even more so when he saw that Keith was smiling, wide and broad. “Keith, what’s…”

“Do I have to be a prince ruling over some land?”

 

“No, I…” Lance scrunched up his face. “The … law just says I have to marry royalty.”

 

Keith laughed quietly, “Lance, you dingus.” he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the prince’s. “My mom was a princess.”

 

Lance blinked slowly, processing the information and his brain formulating a very well thought out and eloquent response.  
“Huh?”

 

“My mom was a princess of a neighboring country, but when she was here for a conference, she met my dad. My dad wasn’t a prince or anything, but Altean law doesn’t says he had to marry a prince. They got married and she moved here to live with him.” Keith smiled warmly, “Technically speaking, I am royalty.”

 

Lance stared at him, his mind reeling with the information. A large smile spread across his face. “So, what you’re saying is…”

“You can court me.” Lance laughed, wrapping his arms around the gardener and lifted him off the ground, spinning him. The two were probably far too loud for that early in the morning, but neither cared. Lance set Keith back on his feet, holding up his hand, the necklace dangling between his fingers.

 

“Then, prince Keith of,” Lance paused, and the Altean snorted.  
“Marmora.” he supplied and Lance nodded.  
“Of Marmora. It would give me a great honor to court you.”

 

Keith smiled, laughing as he gently touched the necklace, his marks glowing under his blush. “I humbly accept, prince Lance.”

 

Lance quickly fastened the necklace around Keith’s neck, and Keith laughed happily when Lance spun him around once more. He was still laughing when Lance leaned forward, causing his first attempt to hit Keith’s teeth.  
The second kiss landed perfectly on his lips.


End file.
